Tag Archive for alternative energy

With Australia’s clean energy investment at an all time high and solar costs continuing to fall, is now a good time to get solar for your roof? Here’s a guest post from PowerScout to help you assess your options. Most solar sales pitches extol the virtues of solar power and promise thousands of dollars in…

Movies are definitely not the only things that look great in 3D, there is something else that has taken quite positively and effectively to being 3 dimensional. Solar Panels were designed in 3D in 2011 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and they are making waves again with new developments that might provide much needed…

Nope, this article is not about the rock band. But, if you’ve heard of the band AC/DC, you know about the different types of electricity. There is AC, or alternating current, and DC, direct current. The difference in technology is largely technical. It’s the application of the technology that plays a part in our lives.…

In October 2011, SolarWorld and 6 other US manufacturing companies lodged a petition claiming that the dumping of cheap Chinese solar panels onto the market was unfair and prevented them from competing in the manufacture of solar panels. Preliminary investigations suggest that the Chinese government has been providing subsidies to their solar industry to the…

The price of solar panels fell by almost 50% over 2011, contributing to a boom year for the solar industry – also contributing of course were deadlines for various solar grants and subsidy programs both here in Australia and over seas. What this means for homeowners of course, is that even if they have missed…

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced a six-year, US$180 million initiative to capture wind energy off American coasts, with an initial US$20 million available this year to start up to four offshore wind energy installations. In choosing projects for this new funding, the Energy Department will be looking for “highly innovative technologies that will…

Eco-friendly cars have been growing in popularity, as the effects of global warming continue to make headlines all over the world. Manufacturers of green cars are constantly trying to improve the functionality of electric and hybrid cars with the aim of eventually replacing the conventional automobile with zero carbon emission models. There are a variety…

American households spend around $2000/year on their power bills, but they could reduce this by several hundred dollars by making a few simple changes, according to US Energy Secretary Steven Chu. As a combined effort between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Ad Council, a consumer education campaign designed to help consumers…

Many homeowners in the US are interested in solar power systems for their homes but are unsure if they are worth the upfront investment. The rising cost of electricity has sent a lot of people looking for alternative solutions, and solar energy is usually among the top alternatives that are considered. One problem people have…

In 2010 China was the world leader in investment in renewable energy technology according to the UN’s Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2011. Globally investment was up almost one third in 2010 over 2009, at a record US$211 billion, and for the first time developing economies put more into “financial new investment” than developed ones. Global increase…

We’ve recently had articles on a ground source heat pump and on other alternative energy sources. Now here’s a guest post of the benefits of wind power. Wind energy is the process where wind turbines are converting kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy, which again is converted into electricity by a generator. Many…

The world’s first mass market, zero emmission car will arrive in Australia in 2012, while the world’s largest electric car charge network will give the car the same range as petrol cars. Beginning with the ACT in the second quarter of 2012, Better Place will be rolling out its network which will include both public…

When it comes to looking for alternative energy sources, there are really three viable alternatives to solar energy. They are wind, geothermal and tidal energy. So let’s take a look at each of them. Wind Power Wind energy really is another form of solar energy, since wind is produced when warm air and cool air…

(This article updated March 2012) There are not too many people who really want to go back to with living without our modern appliances like stoves, fridges or air conditioners. The problem is that we need to figure out a way for powering our homes without destroying our world around us. Many are considering solar…

There is more than one way to heat your house and water with renewable energy. Using solar energy to power your home is of course one way. But another option is to use a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) (also called a geothermal heat pump* or ground heat pump). This still uses electricity to power the…

A new UN report shows that nearly 80% of our global energy needs could be supplied by renewablesby 2050 if backed by the necessary government policies. The report, released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on May 9, reviewed six renewable energy technologies: bioenergy, solar, power, geothermal power, hydropower, ocean energy, and wind…

A recent study in California found that having a rooftop solar power system installed significantly increased the value of homes. No surprise right? But the interesting thing was that the sale value of the homes with solar power increased by about the cost of installing the system – even though the original home owner had…

Using solar power for homes has become very popular in recent years. Solar powered devices are environmentally friendly and relatively cheap. The technology is not so new and you have probably seen simple solar panels on your watches or calculator. But if you are planning to install more complex solar power system, you might need…

Apart from the conscious effort to reduce our carbon footprint, one major factor that has convinced a lot of homeowners to install “do it yourself solar panels” is the rising cost of electricity bills. But before we go into the advantages and disadvantages of making your own solar panels (or using DIY kits), we have…

Kirsten in Brief…

In 2010 Kirsten was on maternity leave with her third child, firmly established in suburbia, and needed an outlet for her passion for the environment & sustainable living. Thus Sustainable Suburbia was born.

In 2014 she became a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant, and found a new way to pursue her passion, teaching small groups of (mostly) women about how to get rid of many of the toxic chemicals in their homes.

In 2015 she discovered it could be even more rewarding to help other women pursue their goals, when she became a leader with Norwex.

In 2018 she plans to help even more people to ditch the nasty chemicals and in some cases to start teaching others to do the same. She hopes to bring many more people into the Norwex family. She also hopes to find time to produce a 2nd edition of Less Toxic Living.